Voters in five New York City congressional districts are casting ballots in primaries today, but the race drawing the most attention is in the 13th District, where Rep. Charles Rangel is fighting to keep the seat he has held since 1971.
See live online election returns and watch NY1 at 10 p.m. for full analysis.
Rangel was on the campaign trail this morning, speaking outside a subway station alongside Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.
While he called this the toughest race he has ever had, he said people who chose not to endorse him over fears that health concerns would keep him from running had misjudged.
“They didn’t support me this time not because I wasn’t the best qualified – and this is so important – they didn’t support me because they thought it was in their best future interest, their future interest, not to support me. And I guess they thought I was the same guy I was three years ago. They made one big hell of a mistake,” Rangel said.
Although a NY1 poll last week showed Rangel holding a 13-point lead over his nearest rival, Adriano Espaillat, he says he does not like to make predictions.
If re-elected, this would be Rangel’s 23rd term in office.
Meanwhile, Adriano Espaillat cast his ballot in Inwood.
The state senator is hoping the second time is the charm in his bid to unseat Rangel.
He narrowly lost in the 2012 primary.
If elected, Espaillat would be the first member of Congress ever born in the Dominican Republic.
Today, he said his election would reshape city and state politics.
“I believe very strongly we will win tonight and we will win by a comfortable margin. People are coming out to vote, they want change, they want a break from the past and they want to be part of the future. Thank you,” Espaillat said.
Things seemed to be going smoothly at a polling site in Inwood Tuesday afternoon.
There were issues during the 2012 election, including voters missing from voter rolls and a shortage in the number of Spanish-speaking poll workers, who Espaillat said were assigned away from Dominican-heavy poll sites.
Michael Ryan, the head of the city’s Board of Elections, said that should not be an issue this time.
“We have 103 Spanish interpreters assigned to 103 poll sites in Manhattan, which is 100 percent compliance. We have 27 Spanish interpreters assigned to 27 poll sites in the Bronx, which is 100 percent compliance. In addition, in Manhattan, we have 217 poll workers who also speak Spanish, and in the Bronx, we have 61 poll workers who also speak Spanish,” Ryan said. “So we believe that we have the language issues for the Spanish-speaking community well-covered today.”
The Board of Elections is also promising faster, more accurate results as a result of a new counting method that requires no manual input, as had been done in years past.
In addition to Charles Rangel, three other longtime incumbents are facing a primary challenge today.
Rep. Gregory Meeks is looking to hold onto his seat in southeast Queens. He’s running against accountant Joe Marthone, who finished last in a four-way primary in 2012.
Rep. Nydia Velazquez, who represents parts of Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens, is taking on first-time candidate Jeff Kurzon.
He’s an attorney who is pushing campaign finance reform.
In the Bronx, Rep. Jose Serrano is facing a challenge from Sam Sloan.
Sloan is a chess master and former taxi driver who once argued and won a case before the Supreme Court despite having no legal training.
In northeast Queens, Republican voters will choose between Stephen Labate and Grant Lally in the district currently represented by Democrat Steve Israel.
The polls are open today until 9 p.m.
Voters who have questions or problems should call the city Board of Elections hotline at 1-866-868-3692 or go online to vote.nyc.ny.us.
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